Rouen, Its History and Monuments | Page 7

the brother and the uncle of kings, of that Bedford, who, according to Pommeraye, was interred to the left of the high altar, and whose tomb stone they now shew us, behind the altar, which tells us that he was interred on the right side of it? Of all the tombs which existed formerly in the choir of the Cathedral, there remains but three modern inscriptions on marble slabs, which have been placed by chance. These three inscriptions are those of Richard-Coeur-de-Lion, Henry the Younger one of his brothers and the duke of Bedford. On the 30th of july 1838, being guided by historical traditions, they had the idea to dig at the spot marked by the inscription to Richard, and discovered the statue which formerly decorated his tomb. This statue, which is hewn out of a single block of very fine free stone, has been deposited provisionally in the chapel of the Virgin. It is six feet and a half long, and represents king Richard in a recumbent posture, his head supported by a square cushion, wearing a crown enriched with precious stones; his feet are supported by a crouching lion. On his left hand was a sceptre of which we only see the remains; the right hand has disappeared. The princes, mantle descends nearly to his ancles, in wide folds. It is over a tunic which reaches up to the neck, and which is bound round the body, by an embroidered belt of which the end hangs in front below the knee. These searches were continued on the 31st of july, and the heart of Richard was found; it was enclosed in a double box of lead, and what must leave no doubt of this precious discovery; the following inscription in letters of the time was engraved on the lid of the box:
HIC: JACET: COR: RICARDI: REGIS: ANGLORUM:
The heart has been provisionally deposited in a private press in the sacristy. These researches were skilfully directed by Mr Deville.
Let us now enter the chapel of the Virgin, and admire the treasure which it contains.
To the left on entering, is a monument of stone, without inscription or statue. It is that of Peter de Brez��, count of Maulevrier, grand senechal of Anjou, Poitou and Normandy. He was killed at the battle of Montlhery, the 16th july 1465. This monument is remarkable by its graceful proportions, its elegance and the delicacy of its architecture. It is composed of two pilasters of the arabesque style, supporting a pointed arcade, surmounted by a pediment; the whole of it is in open work and decorated on all sides with the initials PB, in gothic letters. The niche of the tomb is about five feet wide by about four deep. Its height is six feet four inches to the key of the vault, and decorated with a shield bearing the arms of the deceased. Before the revolution, the same shield, decorated the three pannels of the base of the monument. We may still perceive the trace of the destroyers chisel. The entire height of the mausoleum is seventeen feet. The points of the two pilasters rise two feet and a half or three feet above the rest; which would make the total height of the monument of about twenty feet.
The name of Peter de Brez��, is honourably mentioned in our annals at the time of the conquest of Normandy. It was he who received the capitulation of the castles of Harcourt, Gisors, Chateau-Gaillard. It was he, who first entered Rouen, when that town opened its gates to Charles VIIth[6]. The statue of Peter de Brez�� and that of his wife, Jeanne du Bec-Crespin, were formerly on the monument; but they do not now exist and no one knows when they have been taken away.
Next to it, is the monument of Louis de Br��z��, grand-son of the latter, who died in july 1531. The celebrated Diana of Poitiers caused this mausoleum to be raised to his memory. The body of the monument is supported by four columns of black marble, with capitals and bases of white alabaster. Between these columns is a coffin, on which the white marble statue of the grand senechal, is laid. The deceased is stretched on his back, his features are convulsed: one may see that he has just expired. The body is quite naked, the left hand is laid on his breast. The cenotaph is of black marble. The perfection of this sculpture causes it to be attributed to the celebrated Jean Goujon. Behind this statue, there was formerly another of the same personage, he was represented in the dress of a count, with the collar of Saint-Michael, and a crown on his head. We now only find the marks of the fixtures which fastened it to the monument. At each